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Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Check Out These New 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Photos, Plus New Kylo Ren Details

As of yesterday, we know that we’re not going to see any new
footage of Star Wars: The Force Awakens—not a trailer or
anything else—come out of D23 this weekend (I'm hoping for some Rogue One information, or maybe they'll confirm this or this). But don’t worry if that quick
snipped of new footage the other day left you starving for more, because this
morning arrived with a bunch of new photos to peruse.

Heads up, there may be SPOILERS beyond this point.

Hailing from EW, these images cover a wide swath of
territory. You’ve got action shots, like Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega)
running away from one of those new generation stormtroopers, you get another
glimpse of X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), a look at a wrecked TIE
Fighter, and some old favorites, like R2-D2 and C-3PO. There are also a few
behind-the-scenes shots of director J.J. Abrams at work on the set, and the new
robot BB-8 in a mesh sack, looking like a bag full of balls and a pee wee
soccer game.

Those are all well and good, but the most interesting
pictures are those of the villains. We get our best look yet at Gwendoline
Christie in her chrome armor as Captain Phasma, and while we’ve seen blurry
versions of the character from San Diego Comic-Con, Domhnall Gleeson has
serious dick face in this shot of General Hux, an officer of The First Order in
charge of the ominously named Starkiller Base.

Then there’s Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). We get a couple looks at the sinister
new baddie. We all assume he’s Sith, but to be fair, no one really knows
exactly who or what he is at this point, but the article does give us a few tidbits
about his past and his origins. In a Q&A Abrams says:

"The movie explains the origins of the mask and where it’s
from, but the design was meant to be a nod to the Vader mask. Ren is well aware
of what’s come before, and that’s very much a part of the story of the film."

We’ve heard that Ren may be a collector, obsessed with
gathering Sith artifacts and relics, possibly with the aim of calling forth
some ancient evil. So the question remains, does he have some blood tie to
Darth Vader, or some other connection, or is he essentially a devotee
attempting to evoke his idol, his hero?

Another piece of the puzzle can be found in this statement
about that cross-guard lightsaber that has caused so much controversy. Turns
out it’s of Ren’s own design, as Abrams adds:

"The lightsaber is something that he built himself, and is as
dangerous and as fierce and as ragged as the character."

This doesn’t make it sound like he’s royalty or some kind of
Force legacy; this makes it sound like he’s a self-taught upstart, or at least
something close. Making his own lightsaber also calls to mind Luke Skywalker
crafting one of his own after losing his, along with his hand, at the end of
The Empire Strikes Back. Since day one, we’ve heard that Kylo
Ren could be Han and Leia’s son, and if he grew up hearing
tales of Uncle Luke making his own lightsaber, that might have an influence on
a child. Pure speculation, but it’s interesting to consider.

Like everything else related to this movie, these photos and
quotes leave us with way more questions than they answer. We’ll find out for
sure when Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens everywhere on
December 18. Check out the photos below.